


Paige's Dragon

by devereauxed



Series: Roisa Deadly Sins Week [3]
Category: Jane the Virgin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Disney AU, F/F, Kid Fic, Pete's Dragon AU, Roisa Deadly Sins Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-10-15 07:43:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10552638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/devereauxed/pseuds/devereauxed
Summary: Day Three: Disney AU + GreedRose isn't sure what to do when Luisa tells her the little girl they've taken in has a pet dragon, but in the end it might solve all of their problems.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I don't really do princesses, so I decided to do dragons instead. 
> 
> Pete's Dragon was one of my favorite Disney movies growing up, so it actually made me really happy to do this. 
> 
> I hope you guys like it!

“A dragon?”

“A dragon.”

“As in…a dragon-dragon? A dragon-dragon-dragon?” 

“Rose, you can keep saying the word but it’s still going to mean the same thing. Wings, scales, fire, the whole thing,” Luisa said.

Rose opened and closed her mouth a few times, at a loss for what to say. When Luisa had brought home a scrawny, dirty, nameless little girl, Rose had been speechless, but this was something else entirely.

Luisa took advantage of Rose’s temporary silence and elaborated. “He’s not a bad dragon! Not really, he’s very protective of her.” 

Rose crossed her arms, defensively.

“And he’s green.”

Rose rolled her eyes to the ceiling, taking a deep breath.

“Also, his name is Elliott.”

Rose slumped forward onto the counter, shaking her head. “Luisa…” she started.

“I know it sounds outrageous, but it’s true,” Luisa interrupted. “I’ve seen him.” 

The redhead pursed her lips, trying to decide how to formulate the question she didn’t want to ask, looking at Luisa softly.

“Do _not_ give me that look,” the brunette said, her eyes flashing dangerously. “I am not _crazy_.”

“She’s not,” a small voice spoke up from the door.

Both women turned to look at the little girl shyly peeking around the doorframe.

“Hey,” Luisa said softly, holding her hand out to the girl, who moved forward and took it gratefully. She turned to look up at Rose with wide eyes. Rose wished that it was easier to say ‘no’ to those sweet, trusting eyes. When the little girl had first come to stay with them she had been distrustful and abrasive, closed off to protect herself. But under the careful care of Luisa in particular, she had relaxed and opened up. Giving her a name had done wonders. They’d done it together, tossing out suggestions to see if any sounded right. Once the little girl had said her favorite letter was P they had tried everything from Priscilla to Primrose (a suggestion from Rose that had earned her a glare from Luisa and a giggle from the little one), before Luisa suggested Paige. The girl’s eyes had gone wide and filled with joy, a grin slowly spreading across her face. And so she had become Paige, and she came out of her shell. She smiled and she laughed, and it turned out the quiet, sullen child was actually a talker, so full of life and expressive gestures.

Rose knelt down to Paige’s level, looking at her seriously. “Paige, I need you to tell me the truth.”

“Rose,” Luisa started, but Rose put up a hand to quiet her.

“Paige?” Rose said.

“It’s true, I swear it is,” Paige told her, her eyes wide and scared. Rose sighed, and the little girl dropped Luisa’s hand to grasp Rose’s shoulders anxiously. “I promise!”

Before Rose could answer, the phone rang. Rose flicked her eyes up to Luisa’s and muttered, “Let the machine get it.” Rose re-focused her attention on the little girl grasping tightly to her as if she was afraid she was going to disappear. She studied the crease in Paige’ forehead, the seriousness of her eyes, trying to gauge where this was coming from. With everything going on with her father and the effect it was having on their lives, and particularly their finances, the last thing they needed was, well, a dragon.

The phone rang a few more times and the machine clicked on.

_“Hi Ms. Ruvelle, it’s Doctor Lyman, I’m afraid there’s been a complication with your father’s procedure, he’s going to need to stay for observation for at least another week.”_

It was as if every ounce of strength drained from Rose’s body. Her shoulders drooped and she hung her head. Luisa spun to pick up the phone, talking quickly to the doctor about what had happened and what they needed to do. Paige watched Rose for a second before sliding forward and wrapping herself tightly around Rose’s neck. Rose responded instinctively, wrapping her arms around the little girl. They held each other until Luisa hung up the phone. Rose stood, still holding Paige who wrapped her legs around Rose’s waist, and looked at her wife.

“So? What’s going on?” Rose asked, in a defeated tone.

“He has an infection,” Luisa said quietly. “They need to give him a course of antibiotics and they’re worried it will disrupt the start of his next round of chemo.”

Rose sighed deeply. “I need to get over there.”

She leaned down to place Paige on her feet, and moved to grab her jacket and purse. Luisa placed a hand on Rose’s arm as she passed and squeezed comfortingly. Rose gave her a strained smile and headed out the back door.

For now, at least, the dragon was forgotten.

* * *

 

When Rose finally made her way back into the house late that night, Luisa was waiting for her on the couch. The redhead dropped her purse and coat on the counter before moving into the living room.

“Hey,” Luisa said tentatively. 

“Hi,” Rose sighed.

“How is he?” Luisa asked.

“He’s…sick,” she threw her hands up. “His temperature is off the charts and he's on a course of major antibiotics so they need him under observation because of how weak he already is. They’re saying there’s no way he can start chemo again right now.”

She moved to the window and stared out over the water. At least living in a remodeled lighthouse was great for brooding.

Luisa stood and walked to her wife, wrapping her arms around her waist from behind and nestling her face into her neck.

“I’m so sorry, honey,” she said quietly.

“He looks so small, Luisa,” Rose said, her voice trembling. “He’s wasting away.”

Luisa tightened her grip and said resolutely, “He’s strong. He’s a Ruvelle. You’re all so strong, and far too stubborn for your own good.”

Rose smiled a little at that and nodded. “But…”

“What?” Luisa asked.

“But…god, I feel awful worrying about this right now, but…I have absolutely no idea how we’re going to pay for this,” Rose said almost inaudibly.

“I know,” Luisa said simply. “We’ll just have to figure it out.”

Rose nodded again, unconvinced.

“Is Paige asleep?” she asked.

“Yeah, she went down about an hour ago,” Luisa told her.

“An hour ago?! Luisa, it’s past midnight!” Rose said.

“She was worried about you, honey,” the brunette told her softly.

Rose went silent. She still wasn’t sure how felt about them keeping Paige. Nothing had been finalized, and she was reluctant to allow herself to fully open up to the possibility that Paige was theirs for good. She couldn’t, not yet.

“I haven’t forgotten about the dragon, by the way,” Rose told her.

“I didn’t expect you would,” Luisa replied. “But it’s late and it’s been a long day. Let’s go to bed.” She pulled away from Rose and moved to turn out the remaining lights on the first floor. When she turned back Rose hadn’t moved from the window. She had her arms crossed tightly across her chest, her back straight, and her face hard. Luisa placed a hand on her arm softly.

“I have no idea what to do,” Rose said.

“Come to bed,” Luisa replied, tugging lightly on her arm. Rose resisted for a second but followed when Luisa pulled again. The brunette grasped her hand and led her upstairs to bed. 

* * *

 

The next morning Rose woke early, the room still mostly dark. As soon as she opened her eyes the weight of everything that had happened the day before hit her again and her stomach twisted. She closed her eyes, trying to keep calm, and on instinct she carefully rolled over and molded herself around Luisa, holding her tightly. She listened to Luisa’s slow breathing and did her best to match her own to it.

Suddenly, she heard the door to Paige’s room click open, then her small feet padding softly down the stairs. Wondering where she could possibly be going at this hour, Rose disentangled herself from Luisa and got up as quietly as she could, following the little girl downstairs. When she reached the first floor she saw that the back door was cracked open, and she made her way outside.

She paused just outside the door, listening carefully. She could hear Paige talking softly and followed the sound of her voice. As she came around the side of the house she saw the little girl near the edge of the cliff, sitting cross-legged on a rock, her head peering upward toward the sky. Rose edged closer so that she could hear what she was saying.

“I need to you to be good, okay? This is a good place. I don’t want anything to happen. I don’t want to have to leave. Luisa told her about you and soon you’re going to have to meet her, but you can’t scare her,” Paige was saying sternly.

Rose’s heart broke slightly as she listened. What had happened to this girl that got her here> And why was Luisa humoring her? She stepped forward and softly called Paige’s name. Paige went rigid and jumped to her feet, looking both scared and guilty.

“I’m sorry! Don’t be mad! I wanted to talk to Elliott, I wanted to make sure that he knew he had to be on his best behavior,” she said, nervously pulling at the hem of her shirt.

Rose stopped directly in front of the little girl, and paused, studying her face. “Paige, honey, you know Elliott isn’t real, right? You know that he's in your imagination?”

Paige’s face fell. “But he’s not!” she exclaimed. “I promise! I’m not lying. I’m not!”

“Paige…” Rose started, but Paige cut her off.

“I can show you! Just don’t be scared, okay? He won’t hurt you. I know he won’t,” she said, urgently. She turned and looked back up toward the sky. “Okay, it’s time. Now be good, don’t be scary, no fire, no grumbles, she’s a nice person.”

Rose watched the little girl talk to the sky, and her heart sank as realized that as much as they wanted to, they wouldn’t be able to keep her. They just didn’t have the resources to handle something like this, not right now. That had to be why Luisa was humoring her. She couldn’t bear to think about losing the little girl, so she was willing to believe that the dragon was real. 

Rose started trying to come up with a plan to break it to both Luisa and Paige that it wasn’t going to work out, but every single thought in her head evaporated as the air in front of Paige seemed to shimmer and, out of nowhere, a huge, green dragon materialized before her eyes.

If Rose thought she was speechlessness when Luisa told her about the dragon, it was nothing compared to when she saw it herself. She wasn’t sure she would ever be able to speak again. The dragon looked down at her with oddly expressive eyes and cocked its head, studying her. Rose backed up until her back was pressed against the wall, her eyes never leaving the huge figure in front of her.

Paige jumped off the rock and moved toward her. “Rose, this is Elliott. Elliott, this is Rose.” She smiled at the redhead, but Rose couldn’t focus on anything but the dragon.

“I know it’s scary, but I promise he won’t hurt you,” Paige said softly.

Rose wanted to answer Paige, but nothing would come out. As she stared, the dragon settled himself low on the ground, as though he was trying to make himself look smaller so Rose wouldn’t be as frightened. Was that something that a dragon would do? Was considering what a dragon would do really part of her reality now?

Suddenly, Rose felt a soft hand slide into hers and she looked to her left to see Luisa standing next to her, her eyes sparkling but her touch comforting.

“Luisa, there is a dragon in the yard,” Rose said, blankly.

“Yeah, how ‘bout that?” Luisa replied with a smile.

“It’s a dragon-dragon,” she said.

“I know. Wings, scales, the whole thing. I told you,” Luisa said kindly.

Paige looked up at her and said, “Do you want to touch him?”

“I absolutely do not!” Rose said, pushing her back straight into the wall.

“He’s really soft,” Luisa told her.

“C’mon, Rose,” Paige pleaded. “It’ll make him less scary, I promise.”

Rose had no desire whatsoever to touch the dragon in front of her, but Paige was so desperate for her to be okay with this that she looked back up at him decisively. She was Rose Ruvelle, she didn’t fear things. Things feared her. And she was tired of that not being true lately. 

So she pushed herself off the wall resolutely, her chin up and her shoulders back. Elliott looked back at her and his eyes widened. Rather than taking a defensive stance he lowered himself further, putting his head on the rock Paige had been standing on and looking at her like a puppy who thought he was in trouble. Rose reached out, trying to keep her hand from shaking, and stroked the top his head. Luisa was right, he was soft. When Rose hesitated after the first stroke Elliott pushed his head into her hand lightly, requesting more.

Rose felt powerful. She smiled, her eyes twinkling delightedly. 

The rest of the world came rushing back, the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore below, the light breaking over hill as the sun rose, and most importantly the sound of Paige and Luisa giggling behind her. She turned and gave them a dirty look, before turning back to look at Elliott. He rose back up above her and stretched his wings, before settling upright and looking at them all.

Rose’s mind was whirling. Plans began to form. She could do something with this.

* * *

 

That night Paige fell asleep early, exhausted after her restless night and early morning. She had spent the entire day regaling them with tales about she and Elliott’s adventures. 

As Luisa made her way back downstairs after tucking Paige in she found her wife feverishly scribbling at the counter, talking quietly to herself, and pacing.

“Rose?” she asked, mildly concerned.

Rose spun to look at her, a manic gleam in her eye.

“What is it?” Luisa pressed again.

“I have an idea,” Rose said with a grin. “This could fix everything.”

“What could fix everything?” Luisa asked, her forehead crinkling.

“Elliott, Luisa! Elliott is going to fix everything,” the redhead said, her eyes glinting. 

Luisa looked at her with wide eyes. “What are you talking about it?” 

“Do you have any idea how much money we can make with a dragon?” Rose responded.

Luisa’s heart sank. “Are you serious?”

“Yes! Think about it! This could be the answer we’ve been looking for,” Rose exclaimed. “We could pay off my dad’s hospital bills, we could take care of any new ones! And so much more, Luisa. It could be an endless cashflow. This could be a windfall. I don’t know how long dragons live, but I’m willing to bet it’s longer than any of us. We could be set for the rest of our lives!”

Luisa broke into Rose’s outburst, “What is the matter with you?!”

Rose paused, looking at Luisa in confusion. “What?”

“You want to exploit Elliott for _money_? You want to manipulate that little girl’s only real friend?” Luisa asked, disgust filling her voice.

“It’s not exploitation, Luisa. We need this to survive, we need this if we are going to be able to keep Paige,” she reasoned.

“Is that how you’re rationalizing this to yourself? Is that how you make yourself feel less monstrous?” the brunette said harshly. “This isn’t about Paige, this is about you. This is about greed.”

Rose’s face went stony. She crossed her arms across her chest, her eyes flashing dangerously. “You think I’m being greedy? Do you have any idea how much hospital debt we have now? Have you even looked? Do you have any idea how much more we’re going to have by the end? Do you know how horrendous it is to have a voice in the back of your mind that almost wishes he would just let go so it would stop? You want to talk about monstrous? I’m already there, Luisa.”

Luisa took a deep breath, her heart pounding.

Rose continued, “I am being practical. I am trying to make everything work out. You expect me to do it and I am. This is how we’re going to do it.”

Part of her wanted to comfort Rose. She knew that her admission about her father’s health was at the root of this hysteria, that it all stemmed from guilt and not true greed, but her fierce anger at the fact that Rose was willing to sacrifice Paige in order to fix it wiped away any trace of sympathy she had for her right now.

“Who are you? This isn’t the woman I married,” she said quietly.

“This is exactly the woman you married,” Rose responded, her voice low. “Maybe you just weren’t paying attention.”

“I can’t look at you right now,” Luisa said as she turned to go back upstairs. “Don’t follow me.” 

As she made her way up she heard Rose start pacing again, muttering to herself, and her heart broke. 

* * *

 

The next few days were rough in the Alver-Ruvelle household. Rose never came upstairs to bed, choosing instead to stay in the guest room, something she made a habit of the following nights as well.

Luisa and Rose didn’t speak to one another unless Paige was in the room, and as much as they tried to pretend like nothing was wrong, the little girl could both see and feel it. The brunette had no idea if Rose was proceeding with her plans to monetize Elliott, but she feared she was and she didn’t know how to stop it. Rose showed no remorse, and it scared Luisa. She knew how single-minded her wife could be when she got her mind set on something, and while it was sweet when it was about something like making Luisa smile, it was dangerous when it came to something like this. So it was with a heavy heart that Luisa moved to climb the stairs after yet another day of silence from her wife. She caught Rose’s eye before she left the kitchen, and Rose maintained unblinking eye contact, showing no sign of changing her mind.

Rose sighed as she watched Luisa disappear up the stairs. Her façade was strong and showed no cracks, but she felt unsteady at another day without Luisa, even though she was standing right in front of her. She knew she was making the right choice, she had to do this for them, both Luisa _and_ Paige, and she hoped that one day they would understand. The money they could make with something like this was incalculable, and pretending that money didn’t matter in this world was naïve. 

She made her way to the guest room and collapsed onto the bed. She hadn’t slept much the last three nights; it turned out that sleeping without Luisa’s soft snoring next to her was surprisingly difficult. Not long after she turned off the light and settled into another night of staring aimlessly out the window, she heard the back door shut softly with a click. She sat upright, her heart pounding as she listened carefully for footsteps, trying to figure out who was in the house.

As she stared into the darkness around her she saw a large shadow pass the window. It was Elliott. She moved to the window and looked out. Hewas making his way down the front path, Paige next to him, her head down and her backpack on her slumped shoulders.

Without a second thought, Rose jumped off the bed, not bothering to put on a sweater or shoes and sprinted out of the house after her. 

“Paige!”

Paige froze, not turning to look at Rose. Elliott however did turn, his eyes dark and accusing, making Rose’s pulse race.

“Where are you going?” she asked. 

“We’re leaving,” Paige said quietly. “I made everything worse.” 

Rose’s heart sank. “What are you talking about?”

“You aren’t even sleeping in the same room anymore,” the little girl said. “And it’s my fault.”

“It’s not your fault, Paige,” Rose said. 

The little girl finally turned to look at Rose, her eyes wide and sparkling with tears. “Yes it is. It’s always me. I ruin everything.”

The redhead felt every word like a slap. She knew that feeling very well. Before her stepmother Elena had moved on to greener pastures - greener of course meaning more financially lucrative - she'd made sure that Rose knew that any unhappiness or problems at home were Rose’s fault. She couldn’t believe she had done that to this little girl who had trusted them with her most special secret.   

Rose walked over to Paige and knelt down, placing her hands on the little girl’s shoulders. “You didn’t ruin anything, Paige. This wasn’t you…it was me.”

The little girl stared at her, but nothing in her face showed that she believed what Rose was telling her.

“I made a mistake. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I was scared and I made a huge mistake. This is my fault, and the last thing either Luisa or I want right now is for you to leave. You’re our family, Paige. You complete our family,” Rose said, trying to keep her voice even.

The tears that had been threatening to fall from Paige’s eyes finally broke, trailing down her cheeks. She threw herself into Rose’s arms and held on tightly. Rose held her as she cried, making sure the little girl knew that she wasn’t going anywhere. As the little girl’s tears subsided, Rose stood, lifting her into her arms, and Paige rested her head on her shoulder. Rose looked up at Elliott, who still looked distrustful, but as she tightened her grip on Paige, she said, “I’ve got her.” With those words she hoped that Elliott understood that she wasn’t going to let anything happen to Paige - or him. He still seemed unceratin, but he allowed Rose to take the little girl back into the house. She knew it would take time for her to earn back his trust, but if that was what it took to keep Paige at home then she would do it. 

She carried the little girl all the way back to her bed, helping her put her pajamas back on and tucking her in carefully. She kissed her on the forehead softly, promising herself she would start the adoption proceedings tomorrow. It was long past time.

As Paige’s breathing evened out, Rose made her way back out of the room and into the one next door. When Rose opened the door, she found Luisa staring at her with wide, cold eyes. The brunette opened her mouth to speak, but Rose held up a hand and she stopped. Rose stepped fully into the room, shut the door, and leaned back on it.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly.

Surprise colored Luisa’s features. She wasn't sure her wife had ever said those words to her before.

“I’m not willing to sacrifice you or our daughter to pay off our debts.”

The brunette gasped slightly. “Our what?”

“Our daughter,” Rose said firmly.

Luisa threw the blankets off of herself, moving desperately toward Rose, and the redhead met her halfway. They wrapped their arms tightly around each other and Rose buried her nose in Luisa’s hair, breathing in the familiar scent that she’d missed so much in the last few days.

They stood in the middle of the room, enjoying the warmth of holding each other. Luisa tried to pull back and lead Rose to bed, but the redhead held her to her chest a little longer, not wanting to look Luisa in the eye as she said, “Please don’t ever tell her.” 

Luisa tightened her hold on Rose. “Never. I promise.”

 


End file.
